Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2018 i Deer & Deer Hunting

DDH TV Upcoming Episodes of Deer & Deer Hunting-TV on Pursuit Channel Each episode and Saturday Night Deer Camp begins at 10:00 p.m. EST. August 4: “Whitetails and Wind” A common myth is that big bucks always head for thick cover when the wind picks up. That’s not always true. August 11: “Spot and Stalk Strategies” We go eye-to-eye, one-on-one on the ground with deer out West. August 18: “When the Going Gets Tough” How to deal with other hunters during your hunt on public or private land. August 25: “Hunting Bucks by Age, not Antlers” An Illinois giant demonstrates judging age vs. antler size. September 1: “Make Magic with Mock Scrapes” The biology behind scrapes, the why, what and how. PURSUIT UP  Now streaming past episodes on www.pursuituptv.com! WHAT…

If you want to stay on stand longer make sure you wear a comfortable pair of gloves and hat. The new men’s Stealth Shooters Glove, and performance Beanie Hat are perfect for any hunter. The shooters Glove and Performance Beanie are both made of 4-way stretch performance jacquard terry knit fabric. The stretch fit allows both to be snug without being too tight allowing the hunter to remain comfortable during active hunts and rigorous outdoor activities. The fabric is made with wicking yarn to transport moisture away from the skin and knitted to allow for venting. It is then treated with both Microban® antimicrobial product protection for scent reduction and a durable water repellent finish to easily shed moisture. The Shooters Gloves have pre-curved fingers and a comfortable banded cuff…

Nothing fascinates me more about the whitetail world than home ranges and core areas. Frankly, in no small part I’ve built a good portion of my career trying to manipulate both, striving to get bucks to spend disproportionately high percentages of their time on grounds ranging from 40 to 5,000 acres. Having spent 30ish years trying to unravel these mysteries on a whole bunch of ground, ranging from properties no different from the ones many of you hunt to flat out whitetail utopias, even I’ve been able to accidentally learn a few things. Some of it lines up quite nicely with research, while some of it just doesn’t. Luckily, I think I’ve even found some answers for that. As it applies to both deer hunting and deer management, there has…

There are many good reasons to fletch your own arrows. Fletching your own arrows means you’re not dependent on pro-shop schedules or components on hand. You’re able to take your time to build arrows precisely, using exactly the colors, styles and quality of components you demand. You’ll build better-quality arrows because you don’t get in a hurry because you’re not concerned with a bottom line — only the best, most accurate projectiles possible, assembled to your specific needs. To make this happen you’ll need some basic tools and knowledge. FIRST RATE FLETCHING TOOLS Fletching Jig: To begin you’ll need a fletching jig, arrow cut-off saw, proper adhesive and collection of preferred components. Fletching jigs include a base to hold raw shafts and clamp to hold a fletching. The clamp attaches…

1 PSE Evolve 31 Powered by the EVOLVE Cam System, with up to 90 percent let-off, PSE’s Evolve 31 features an ultra-stiff forged riser design, Wide-Track Limb System, Wedge Lock Speed Pocket and all-new Flex Rod System for shot stability, dead-eye accuracy and 346 fps of raw speed. Specifications include 31-inch axle-to-axle length, draw length range of 24½ to 30 inches and 4.3-pound mass weight. MSRP: $999.99. Info: www.PSE-Archery.com 2 PSE Thrive 400 Crossbow Engineered with reverse cam technology to shoot 400 fps, and enhanced with an upgraded accessory package, the Thrive 400 crossbow from PSE delivers top performance. Specifications include a 17-inch power stroke, 18¼-inch axle-to-axle length, 32-inch overall length w/stirrup, 142 foot-pounds of kinetic energy, 175-pound draw weight and Kryptek Highlander camo pattern. The crossbow package comes with…

A sacred place: It’s a 100-acre tract filled with cottonwoods, catalpas and irreplaceable memories. My son, Aidan, shot his first buck on this property when he was 11 years old. The 2½-year-old deer was walking from the south to the north, from the timber toward the cornfield. He was with another smaller buck, a fork-horn, and they were trotting at a good clip toward dinner. I was so excited for Aidan to get a shot at a buck that even that medium-sized 8-pointer made me shake in the stand with a bad case of buck fever. My young son, who seems to have inherited his mother’s calm-under-stress trait, sat absolutely motionless. He was a camo-clad assassin, and he wasn’t going to mess things up. “You ready, Buddy?” I whispered. “You…

Hosted by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, the 41st annual meeting of the Southeast Deer Study Group was held in the historic Millennium Maxwell hotel in Music City, Nashville, Tennessee, in February of 2018. With 294 deer biologists and researchers attending, along with a number of deer enthusiasts, the two-day event was a refreshing look at the status of America’s most popular big-game animal — the white-tailed deer. The theme for this year’s meeting,“Stakeholder-focused, Science-Based and Data-Driven — The Gold Standard for the State Deer Management System?” was addressed by lead-off speaker Steve Williams of the Wildlife Management Institute. Williams addressed the dynamic social and technological changes he has witnessed over the past 20 years, recognizing their impact on deer management decisions. He emphasized that deer biologists and managers are…

Call this the case of the next world-record whitetail that might have been, should have been, but never will be. After years of trying to get a world-class Wisconsin buck the recognition many thought it deserved, antler collector Jay Fish filed a lawsuit against the Boone and Crockett Club of Missoula, Montana, on Oct. 19, 2016. On Sept. 27, 2017, Fish and the Club reached a private agreement that essentially ends any chance the buck will ever be viewed as the world record. The lawsuit was filed by Fish on behalf of the Johnny King Buck, a 218-inch, 6-by-6 typical trophy whitetail killed in fair chase by Johnny King in Grant County, Wisconsin, on Nov. 18, 2006. (For the full story about this deer and the ensuing controversy, see the…

Bring up the topic of deer antler color around the campfire some evening at hunting camp and be ready to hear many ideas. Some might be right and some wrong or maybe there is a bit of truth in all suggested theories. Since this is a topic that is of interest to deer hunters, it might be best to advance the possible causes and offer observations that support or detract from their validity. I have a large number of racks from the same general area (10,000 acres) yet with different habitat types that might provide good, unbiased evidence. GENETICS AT WORK? A frequently sited explanation is genetics, and this is definitely possible, but also is hard to prove or disprove from mere observations. Many researchers avow that much of antler…

Like most whitetail hunters, I spent most of my life believing I was immune to treestand mishaps. I assumed I was being careful enough. I believed I was more agile than most. I’m not unique in this regard. I recall researching treestand accident numbers for a speaking engagement. Something like 70 percent of deer hunters polled believed they would never experience a treestand accident, while in fact one-in-three will eventually suffer some sort of accident during their hunting careers — many resulting in a permanent physical handicap or death. Like most, I was convinced it wouldn’t happen to me. Until it did. I believed I’d been taking the subject seriously, had adopted a fail-safe approach. I always wore a four-point safety harness (quality products from Hunter Safety System, Tree Spider…

I’ve got to admit, I like the job. Being a deer camp chef is a pretty good gig for three reasons. 1. You are much appreciated, and told so often. Otherwise, everybody else knows they might be nominated for the job. 2. You are in control of the camp’s menu, as well as the eating schedule. Your terms are always good terms. 3. And there’s a lot of satisfaction in a meal well made that keeps the troops happy, well-fortified, hunting hard — and bringing in venison for the meatpole. Of course, there are many kinds of deer camps: old or deluxe converted farmhouses; cabins in the woods; rented houses in town; pole buildings with a section converted to cooking and living quarters; and more. These are my favorite kinds…

As “The Big 6” appeared in the corner of the beanfield I couldn’t help but feel mesmerized. The sheer power and presence that he possessed was something to behold, and I knew that on this day, this old buck had finally made a vital mistake. Carefully, he strutted across the field toward my elevated position, some 20 feet up in an old, gnarly oak tree. With a stiff east wind hitting me directly in the face, causing my eyes to tear up, I knew that this was the evening I had waited all season for, and I was more than ready! The Big 6 captivated me from the first day I laid eyes on him a few years back. I had found a really nice shed on a farm that…

SHOPDEERHUNTING.COM Your Guide to Harvesting, Field Dressing and Cooking Wild Game Learn how to hunt, process and cook a wide variety of wild game with “Hunting for Food,” by Jenny Nguyen and Rick Wheatley. This book provides instructions on the best strategies for hunting different game, including deer, hogs, upland birds, waterfowl and more, as well as step-by-step instructions for cleaning and processing the meat. Plus, there are plenty of mouthwatering recipes inside! Get your copy at www.ShopDeerHunting.com by searching for SKU T3615. Info: www.shopdeerhunting.com  and search SKU DEER OF THE MONTH Big congrats to Tre Kerns from Ohio! He shot this awesome buck on his first sit in October 2017! Submit your deer stories and photos to BigBucks@fwmedia.com  for consideration to be included…

The following are highlights from a recent 10-state survey (Illinois, Indiana, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, Virginia and Maryland) regarding tree-stand accidents. Who is Falling?: The highest percentage of age groups involved in accidents include 18-24 (22 percent, 141 incidents); 55-70 (28 percent, 182 incidents); and 35-54 (42 percent, 275 incidents). Average age: 47. Stand Types Involved: Hang-on, 31 percent; climber, 25 percent; ladder, 20 percent; and homemade, 20 percent. When Injuries Occur: Sixty percent of treestand accidents occur off the stand (22 percent on the way down, 23 percent while climbing and 15 percent during transition from stand to steps). Forty percent of falls occur directly from the stand. Reasons for Falls, Top Three: Fifty-five percent of treestand accidents occurred for these three reasons: human error (66…